Alarming! A million species could disappear

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Between April 29 and May 4, the member countries of the Intergovernmental Scientific-normative Platform on Biodiversity will analyze a shocking study

AFP had access to a summary of a project that shows that we are facing the start of a massive and imminent extinction. According to the report, the disappearance would be the most serious that the Earth would face in 10 million years. The report reveals that of the 8 million existing species, 1 million would disappear.

Leer en español: ¡Alarmante! Un millón de especies podrían desaparecer

The evaluation of this information is carried out by the Intergovernmental Scientific-normative Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This is the first one done in 15 years and takes place in Paris. During the meeting, the 1800 pages generated by the research carried out in the last three years are discussed. The information will be analyzed by the 130 member countries of IPBES.

"The global environmental heritage – the earth, the oceans, the atmosphere and the biosphere – on which humanity depends is being altered to an unprecedented level, with cascading impacts on local and regional ecosystems," the draft summary states, according to the report obtained by AFP. It is important to highlight that the document can be modified after this meeting and that the final version will be known once the evaluation is finished.

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This document indicates that the main reasons for the mass extinction would be:

• Land exploitation
• Exploitation of resources
• Global warming because of the human being
• Pollution

Worldwide impact

Of the total of species, which is estimated at 8 million currently, one million would be at risk and the planet would be facing the sixth mass extinction. In addition to the significant loss that this implies at an environmental level, the human being is affected in other spheres.

For example, according to Semana Sostenible, the disappearance of one million species would have repercussions on food security, energy generation, production of medicines, etc. Additionally, this would imply an escosystemic imbalance at the planetary level and change the operation of them.

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It is evident that to reverse the situation, beyond the governmental evaluation, we must change our practices and do it drastically. The disappearance of a million species of flora and fauna jeopardizes the stability and welfare of the planet, so that the human beings is also in danger. Each being plays a fundamental role on the planet and losing a million will bring devastating consequences.

As citizens, we can participate in private and public initiatives that benefit the environment and that reduce the excessive consumption of resources. From home, we can also take measures and also do it when making purchases, acquire new goods, and offer sustainable services – environmentally and economically speaking.

In LatinAmerican Post we will be attentive to the decisions made by IPBES.

LatinAmerican Post | Marcela Peñaloza
Translated from "¡Alarmante! Un millón de especies podrían desaparecer"